Three girls arrested in connection with the death of Jerry Appicella in Doncaster

Mr Appicella’s body was found inside a property on Craganour Place at around 9.45am on Sunday morning (December 15) after officers responded to calls of concerns for his welfare.

It is believed that Mr Appicella had been involved in an altercation with a group of people on Tuesday 3 December in an alleyway leading to Hickleton Street in Denaby Main prior to his death.

Enquiries suggest he then walked to his home address where his body was found.

A post mortem carried out yesterday (December 16) revealed Mr Appicella, who was 51, died as a result of head injuries.

This morning three girls from Doncaster have been arrested on suspicion of murder. They remain in police custody.

Senior Investigating Officer Simon Palmer: “The death of Mr Appicella has naturally caused a great deal of distress and concern within what is a close-knit community.

“I would like to reassure people living in Denaby Main and the wider Doncaster area that our investigation is progressing at speed and we are committed to identifying those responsible for Mr Appicella’s death.

“We believe that Mr Appicella was involved in an altercation with a group of people prior to his death. We are carrying out active enquiries to trace members of that group who we believe were a mix of males and females of a variety of ages.

“I would urge anyone with information which might help us piece together the circumstances around Mr Appicella’s death to contact us.

“We believe that this was a targeted attack and that there is no wider risk to the community.

“If you live in Denaby Main and the surrounding area, you might be seeing more of our officers than usual; they are there for your reassurance. If you have any questions or concerns, please speak to our officers, they will be happy to listen.

“I’d like to reassert that this is an active enquiry, please be mindful of what you are posting on social media and if you have any information that might be useful, please contact us.”

Please contact 101 with any information quoting incident number 422 of 14 December.

Alternatively, you can anonymously contact the independent charity Crimestoppers via their website Crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling their UK Contact Centre on 0800 555 111.